TIGERS PRACTICE AT GEORGIA DOME
ATLANTA – Bowl week is
finally here for LSU as the Tigers arrived at the Hilton in downtown
Atlanta on Wednesday in what will be their home for the next six days.
Wednesday
was busy for the Tigers as LSU departed from Baton Rouge, making the
one-hour and 15-minute flight to Atlanta, where the team arrived
shortly after noon. Following a team meeting and lunch, the Tigers then
moved on to the Georgia Dome for the first of what will be four
practices this week leading up to Monday’s game against 14th-ranked
Clemson.
LSU and Clemson meet for just the third
time on Monday, Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. CST in the Georgia Dome. The game
will be televised on ESPN. LSU leads the series 2-0 with Clemson,
winning 7-0 in the 1959 Sugar Bowl and 10-7 in the 1996 Peach Bowl.
“We
are excited to be here,” LSU coach Les Miles said upon the team’s
arrival on Wednesday afternoon. “Atlanta is a great place. It’s a
destination for our guys. I know that they are looking forward to
setting up shop here in Atlanta and getting prepared to play a very
talented Clemson team.”
Wednesday’s practice was
the first one for the Tigers here in Atlanta, but it came after eight
workouts in Baton Rouge before LSU took a few days off for Christmas.
LSU will practice 12 times with a walk-thru during bowl season,
something that Miles said goes a long way in developing the younger
players.
“In some instances, our bowl season is,
by the number of practices, maybe even a little longer than our spring
practice,” Miles said. “These extra bowl practices give us a chance to
look at some of our younger players and improve and develop depth on
the football team. I think bowl practices are a real benefit to your
team as it allows individuals the chance for continued development
while also preparing for an opponent.”
LSU will be
tested by a Clemson offense that features an All-America quarterback in
Tahj Boyd, a 1,000-yard rusher in Andre Ellington, and a pair of wide
receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins, who combined for 126
receptions and nearly 2,000 receiving yards.
“Our
defense will be presented with a great challenge,” Miles said of the
Clemson offense. “They have an outstanding quarterback, a tremendous
running back and some very good receivers. Our defense has really done
a nice job of preparing for this game. We are going to have play well
on offense and special teams so that we don’t give them the short side
of the field.”
As a unit, Clemson is averaging
over 42 points and 519 total yards per game. On the other hand, LSUs
defense is among the best in the nation in yards allowed (8th at
292.2), rush defense (9th at 101.8) and interceptions (10th with 18).
LSU is allowing just 16.9 points per game, a figure that ranks No. 11
in the country.
After practice on Wednesday, LSU
players took part in the first of many bowl outings this week with a
trip to Dave & Busters, a restaurant filled with arcade games,
bowling, pool and many other activities for the players.
On
Thursday, LSU players, along with Miles, will start the day visiting
the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital followed by practice at the
Georgia Dome at 1:30 p.m. LSU will cap the day with a trip to Andretti
Indoor Karting where the players will get behind the wheel of some of
the fastest go karts around.
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